Safety device for car-door-operating mechanisms



j'. Fl 'SAFETY DEVICE FOR CAR DOOR )PERA'I'ING'MECHANISM'S` nire rarasorifice.

JOHN F. OCONNOR, 0F CHCAGO, ILLNOS, ASSGNOR T0 WILLIAM I-I. MINER, OFCHAZY, NEW' YORK. Y v 'Y SAFETY Dnvrcn non campeon-OPERATINGMECHelvrsMs. i

specification of Letters Patent. v' PatentedApr. 12, 1921.

Application led, November 6, 1919. Serial No. 336,055.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. OCoNNoR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the 'county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinventedl a vcertain newk and useful Improvement in 'Safety Devices forCar-Door-Operating Mechanisms, of which the following is a full, clear,concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates t0 improvements in safety devices for dooroperating mechanisms.

The object of the invention is to provide an eicient safety deviceapplicable Afor use in door operating mechanisms of dump cars and thelike and whereby danger to the operator, during the opening movements ofthe doors, is eliminated.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is an endelevational view of a door operating mechanism show.- ing myimprovements' in connection therewith. Fig.` 2 is a verticallongitudinalsectional view taken substantiallyon theline 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is avertical sectional' view taken partly on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 andpartly in a plane coincident with'the' outer edge of the internal gear.And Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a door operating mechanismand associated doors of a dump car, the mechanism being of a well'-known type.'

In said drawing, 10 denotes an operating shaftof a car doormechanism towhich is secured a winding drum 1l'. Pivotally connected to the drum 11at 12 is a link 13 to which in 'turn is pivotally attachedY another link14. Pivotally connected to the link 14 are elongated hook-shaped links15 and 16. The latter are pivotally connected to eye-bolts 17-17adjustably attached to the free edges of pivoted 'doors 18-18. The link14 has a shoulder 19 which is adapted to cooperate withacorrespond- 'ingshoulder 2O formed on the hub 11 to insure the unwinding Aof the'linkages when the shaft` 10 is rotated in a clockwise direction. It willbe noted that the link 14 and hub 11 have coperating flat surfaces 21 sopositioned with respect to the pivotal connections between the links 15andv 16 and doors 18 as to relieve the vshaft 10 of all torsionalstrains when.. the doors are .in

closed position. lncarryingv out my invention, I provide a llost motionclutch form of safety device at the end of the shaft 10 and,` as shown,this clutch comprises, broadly, an outer clutch member A, an innerclutch member B`,'an internal gearLC, and apinion D. l .v

The clutchmember B is provided with a hub 22 which is recessed soas tofit over the non-circular end of the shaft 1Q andbe rivf eted thereto asindicated at'23. Saidmember B is provided with an annular flange ,24

which, in conjunction withthe clutch member A, as hereinafter`described, forms a housing for the pinion" and internal gear. Arounditsperiphery, said member B is provided with va series o'f shoulders 25with which is ladapted to Vcoperate a pivotally'v mounted locking dog 26of well-known formV to hold the` door mechanism positively in lockedpositionwhile the car is Vin transit. The pinion Das clearly shown inFig. 2, is preferably formedintegrally with the clutch member B and islocated in alinement with the axis of the shaft 10. Beyond the pinion D,the clutch member B is provided 'with an integral axle 27 on which theclutch member A is rotatably mounted.

The clutch member Bk is provided with` an axially extending opening 28yto accommodate avrivet or other suitable securingl element 29 which alsopasses through theclutch member A. and is adapted to hold the parts inassembled relation, as will be understood.

rThe clutch member A lis provided on its outer sidewith a squaredsection 30 adapted to accommodatetheusual claw bar orother operatingtool. In addition,V said member A has a disk-like flange 31 whichVcovers lthe pocket or recess defined by the annular iange 24 and,in'conjunction with the latter, forms the housing for the other parts,as hereinbefore explained. YOn its interior, said ange 31 has formedtherein an an'-v nulargroove 32 which extends fora complete circleexcept for a lug 33 which .ex Vtends Vthrough arelatively short arcji,The `'lug-33 is best indicated by dotted lines'in eliminated.

, Clearly indicated in Fig. e, and mi internal gear C has a peripherallug of relatively" ShQtLfWlQBPJG .OfDl @Sgiidicated 11136. v Said j .i

lug`36 is adaptedto travel within the groove; 32 and obviously willpermit of lost motion t between the clutchmembei Afand the fin-Hy llternal gear C through an arc oic 360 lessw the combined arcsubtendedbythe lugsl33 Y,

. Vnllwdf A bearing Vfor the internal gear YC i Vis provided by theVinwardly' extending flange 37 of the i"nF-ign.v l y.

H The operation of the' device is as follows: Assuming'the doors'inclosed position and the'parts of the door mechanism Vas shown in clutchmember A, as shown the drawingfth'e operator," after releasing the'dog26',l will apply the claw bar*y to the squared `section of.theclutchme'mber A and Yproceed to rotate the latter lin a clockwisedirection. Asthe member A is rotatedin 'a rclockwise directioni' the.lug 33 thereof will engage 'against the lug 36er the internal gear CandY consequentlyfrotate Vthe i'nternahgearjC in a `clockwise direction.This' movement is communicated tothe pin* ion D which of vcourseproduces afcorrespending' rotation in theshaft l0.Av The shaft 4l0 `willthus berotated until such time as vthelinkages of the door mechanism`proper 1 `becomefunloclre'd-from the drum ll and the doorsfwstartrtoVswingdownwardly at high speed under the load thereon. This high speedrotation' of' the shaft -10 will cause the pinion D to rotatera'pidly aswill be underlV stood andduring' the remainder fof the door openingoperation, vthe clutch member A will remainstationary.y` fAs the pinionD-is 'rotated rapidly in -a clockwise direction* under theinluence of thefreelyfffalling doors, tlie internalgear Cwill also'be rotated inaclockwise direction and the lug' 36 V thereof 'i will travel around thegroove 32 until it comes into 'engagement with the op.- posite side ofthe lug1 33. This provides yfort fthe necessary lost motion Vbetween themainV Vshaft l0 and 'the' manuallyoperated clutch v member A y! l andvinjury to the operator is thus Y one "or `:one..andbnc-quarterrevolutions.'

lhQe-se-v variations mayl be readily taken care4 fofvfin'y'my device byproperly; proportioninq` the/.lugs ,B3-and 36V and the ratio oftheyteeth infthefpinion lD tothe 'teeth inthe internal .g'jelr. ,Ci Invthey device as illustrated, `I, yhave y employed ffteenfteethY on thepinion D and :twenty teethl on the'int'ernal gear Cfsothat,

gior eten 'orerlee revolution made by the pinion D when it is travelingiinderthe influence' Aof the loaded doors, there will be producedonlyithree-quarter's of anievolu- Vtionof the internal gear C, andinasmuch as the combined are of the lugs 33 and 36 is less!Vthan?"909;-itifs .evident-V' that I obtain `slightly more than acomplete revolution of lost-motion between the sliaftlancl 'the clutchmemberfli.v n

As `ivil'l'be'appreciated by those skilled in the art7 the arrangementof pinion D and internal'vgear YC yconstitutes yaI differential gearing.l/Vhile a'specili'c ratio has been illustrated in the drawing,it'willbe'under'l stood by "those'skilledin'th'e'fart that lthe o.ratio'may beu varied to suit'difl/Terent'conditions by employingdifferent nl imbersv of dteeth on the pinion 'and gear. i

' i-Aithough r 'have' hei-ein ish-ewa" and, del' Vscribed what l now'vconsider. *the preferred u "manner of carrying; out 'myy-inventionythesame is merely illustrative andllrontemplate all changes andmodifications as come within the'scope of the claimsappended hereto.

I claim :l

mechanism, the combination withrtwo rela- .tively rotatable clutchmembers.y one of which is adapted to be'directly operated and U theother is adapted to rotatesimultaneously vwith a shaft yof themechanism, of anfinternal gear. loosely rotatably mountedbe- ,tweensaid, clutch members and havingalug rigid therewith, a* coperating lug.ononeoi' V).00

said clutchl members, said lugs ylimiting the amount of relativerotation between said internal gea-r and the clutchmember carry-V ingtheA lug, and a pinionv coperable with Y said internal gear. and rigidlymounted on the other oi said clutch members.

i' Q .ln'asafety device fordoortolperating mechanism, the combinationwith two `clutch members, one of which is adapted .to be se- .cured to ashaik't'o'f` the mechanism and which is providedvwith;an:integral'journah the other clutch' member being rotatably mounted onsaid` journal andghaving' a` section .adapted to receive an operatingtoolyoll a vpairfciV cooperating` differentialgears inter',- L posedbetween' the'k two, clutch meinbers, one .of said' differential ygea-rsbeingjrigid with Lone clutch member and theotherloosely; ro-

:tatably mounted with respectrto the other clutch :member for alimiteddista'nceg In a safetyv device for door operating;v mechanism,the .combination'with' a clutch' member adapted to be rigidlysecuredgtofva `shaft ofthe mechanism,Y said ,clutch member H ,havingapinion formed integrallyftherewit'h Y 1* anda ,bearing aXle both in'-alinement with the. axis vof the shaft, of ai' xsecondfc'lutch member'rotatablyl mounted on.y said-'bearing faxleand having'a section adaptedto're- .ceivei an operating tool,A an internal? gearfin; 130

t 1.111 a safety device for doori'operating terposed between the twoclutch members and having its center olisposed eccentrioally withrespect to the aXis of the shaft, eooperating lugs on the tool operatedClutch member and the internal gear, .said lugs permitting relativerotation between the internal gear and said clutch member for an areless than 360, said internal gear being in mesh with said pinion, theratio of the teeth on the pinion to the teeth on the in- 10 ternal gearbeing less than unity. j

In witness that I claiinjthe foregoing I have hereunto subscribed myname this 4th day of Nov., 1919.`

JOHN F. oo'oNNoR.

